


Blackwatch

by Pookie02



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: But it's there, M/M, Slice of Life, Team as Family, The relationship stuff isn't the main focus of this story fyi, papa gabe and his unruly boys, slice of life for a special ops division, sorta - Freeform, this is before moira showed up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-01 16:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14525049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pookie02/pseuds/Pookie02
Summary: Set during the Golden Age of Overwatch, featuring everyone's favorite team of special ops troublemakers. Somewhere between a slice-of-life and a look into the business of running a secret special ops division.This is a reboot of my earlier story~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!  
> I wasn't happy with my earlier work, so I found myself wanting to start over. Then the Retribution event happened and undid some of my head cannons, which sounded like a sign to start over. I ripped out the stitches and reworked the pattern.
> 
> Like before, and even in spite of what I just said, because of the nature of Overwatch's slow drip of lore, this will essentially be a contained AU. If anything changes in lore (unless it's something huge) I'm not changing things here. When coming up with ideas for this, I tried my best to go for an area that wouldn't likely be messed up by a later reveal, but time will tell.
> 
> Unlike before, this story is now under the watchful eye of my darling editor~

McCree's entire side was on fire. And according to the doc, it would be for a while, too. Which was just a big ol' load of bull. He'd tucked. He'd rolled. Yet he still felt like he'd fallen ten feet onto a beam, ribs first.

To say it was putting a dent in his mood was putting it mildly. All he wanted to do was his normal post-mission ritual of eating something half the size of his head that was deep fried and sleeping for a day next to his favorite space heater. But no, he was stuck sitting in Zurich's main waiting room.

Morrison had called Gabe in for a meeting. That wasn't so odd, except the timing and the insistence that it happen immediately. And with the way Gabe's face was twitching just a bit, McCree wound up tagging along. He didn't like to leave the old man on his own when shit hit the fan.

Well... maybe it wasn't so hard to figure what the trouble was. Blackwatch had been in the process of finally arresting a big time international crime lord they'd been after for a while. It had been a long assignment; the man was slippery as he was vile, but they'd finally tracked him down to a sugar factory in Missouri of all places.

It turns out sugar is very flammable and one thing led to another... and then the factory blew up. 

So it was probably the whole blown up factory thing that got them in trouble. Jack would have to sort it out with the UN and the US authorities and Gabe probably had to tell him what had happened and all that. 

Still... McCree shifted, then pulled his hat further down over his face. Something was still bugging him. So here he was.

And here he'd been for what seemed like way too long. McCree didn't often get sent to the kiddie table when there was a shouting match for that matter, which was only making him more antsy.

Just as he was starting to wonder if something had gone very wrong, he heard someone coming his way and almost pulled his hat up. But after listening a moment longer, he knew it wasn't Gabe, so he kept still. There was a little laugh as the steps approached.

"Are you Jesse McCree?" a voice asked, which sounded lightly amused.

"Mhm, that'd be me," McCree answered, not bothering to pull his hat up still. It had been a while since someone on the Overwatch side of things came to give him trouble. He wasn't much in the mood for it today, though. 

"Well, Captain Amari told me to come find you."

That had him pulling his hat back on his head just enough to see who was speaking. A woman about his age with olive skin and a dark red ponytail was grinning at him.

"And why did Captain Amari tell you that?"

"She said to wait with you. My new assignment was going to meet you here."

McCree's head tilted a bit to the side, "Come again?"

"I just got hired to be the personal assistant to the head of the sanitation department. She said he'd meet you here and to wait with you."

Uh oh. The 'sanitation department' meant, Blackwatch, which meant this sweet-faced lady was about to be the next attempt at a personal assistant for Gabe. The last one had lasted four days. 

"Uh..." McCree weighed his options. On one hand, he was ornery and tired and Gabe was gonna be a bear about this. Which means if he got involved that bear-ness would be pointed at him as well. On the other, the woman was still grinning at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" McCree asked, wondering what kind of person this poor fool was.

"No, but I'm a little disappointed; I was told you have spurs."

McCree looked down at his feet, which did have cowboy boots but did not have spurs. "I'm told there's no way I can sneak around in them, but I'll show them, just you wait."

The woman let out a little titter of a laugh before sitting down next to him, "You're the first agent I've met. Unless you count Captain Amari, but she's..." the woman tilted her head. "Different. Amazing. Have you met her?"

"I have," McCree said, having to hold back a sigh. Well now he wasn't going to be able to let her hang out to dry on her own. "What was you name, I don't think I caught it."

"Maddie Pazala," she said, then held out a hand. McCree gave it a shake, pleased to find a firm grip in return. "And you're Jesse McCree, a real cowboy."

"That's me," McCree said with a grin.

Maddie leaned in, "Have you even been near a cow?"

McCree leaned back, "Well that's an interesting story. And not one I'm sure I'm prepared to tell a lady I just met"

Maddie's head tilted back with a worried expression that got McCree laughing. "Not anything untoward. Unless you count having to help a vet with... well, it includes organs and their having to go back in the cow. It's not nice."

The face the woman had been making hadn't calmed any, and she held her hands up, "Okay, okay, you're a cowboy. I don't need to hear any more."

McCree chuckled, then pulled his hat back over his face. "Well, get comfortable, I'm not sure how long the boss is going to be."

Maddie seemed to take his advice; he heard her start fiddling with the databand he'd spied on her arm. Meanwhile, he went back to remembering how much is body was aching. 

With the quiet that came over the two, McCree fell into a light doze. Though he wasn't so out of it to not recognize the heavy gait of Gabe's boots coming their way. Tilting his hat up, he saw the man was indeed walking toward them. And boy did he not look happy.

"Maddie," he spoke up before Gabe got to them, "You just let me handle the introductions." The woman nodded in reply, looking suddenly nervous.

Gabe barely slowed as he reached them, "Come on, we're going back." 

McCree got out of his chair and followed along, glancing back to make sure Maddie was with him. The air was heavy, but that wasn't about to stop McCree, "So what'd ol' Jack have to say?"

Gabe stopped just as they got to the hallway towards the helipads. He sighed, then turned back. "Who are you?" he said, looking over McCree's shoulder to Maddie.

"She's getting transferred to Blackwatch," McCree answered, not wanting to get too far off topic. "What did Morrison say?"

Gabe focused on him again, and shook his head, "There was a US senator in that sugar factory when it blew up."

"Uh," McCree blinked at him, "Did he survive?"

"They're still trying to separate the parts of him and that scumbag Danzig," Gabe turned back and continued for the doorway out the back of the building. "Now the UN's all pissed off at us and Jack can't get them to shut up."

"Uh," McCree was still blinking from that tidbit, "Whoops."

"Whoops," Gabe grumbled back in agreement, then punched the password into the door to the helipad. Waiting behind it was Captain Amari.

"Now what?" Gabe asked, sounding even more tired than he had a moment ago.

"I need to speak with you a moment, Gabriel," she glanced over to McCree and Maddie. "Go prepare to leave."

McCree did as he was told and broke away from the two, and was happy to see that Maddie had followed. One, because she knew enough to do as Amari asked and two, because Gabe was probably going to find out just what Maddie was getting transferred for. Better to keep their distance for the initial response. 

The transport was already starting preflight checks; McCree saw Pen give him a lazy wave from the cockpit. He ushered Maddie into transport, holding an arm out to the dimly lit interior.

Lingering by the door while she walked in, he stuck a cigar in his mouth. He wouldn't light it; Pen would kill him, but he needed a moment to think. Despite his initial instinct to help smooth things over for Maddie, there was the very real likelihood that she'd be out in a few days anyway. Most of the other attempts had been professionals who'd been in their fields for years. Everything from former administration assistants for major international companies to that one shrink. That one in particular had ended badly.

Maddie wad definitely the youngest. And of the bunch had been the least abrasive about meeting McCree, which likely was why he was considering helping her.

He glanced at the woman, who was looking a little less nervous than before. She smiled at McCree, "So, you know Gabriel Reyes?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

Maddie sat on one of the benches in the transport, "I just wasn't expecting him to be right here, you know?" 

McCree had to assume that had he not met Reyes the way he had, he might have had a similar response to meeting him out of the blue. Still, that didn't bode well for the situation. 

The woman had stood up again, clearly looking at the Blackwatch insignia on the floor. Then she walked over to McCree and pointed to the same marking on the sleeve of his shirt. "What's with that logo? I haven't seen it in any of my training. And you said Blackwatch before. What's that about?"

"Yeah, about that," McCree felt his teeth sink into the cigar a little before he continued. "You're getting transferred to Blackwatch. It's Overwatch's special Ops division. Reyes is in charge."

She looked pretty surprised with that, understandably, "Special Ops? I didn't even know they had that."

"No one does, barring a few exceptions. We work out of Rome."

She'd sat back down again, then shot up, "Wait, if that's true, then am I supposed to be Reyes' assistant?!" she sounded alarmed now.

"You didn't even know?" said the devil himself, who'd managed to sneak up on both of them. McCree managed not to jump, Maddie not so much.

"You didn't," Gabe huffed at the lack of response from the still-startled woman. His face had been sour before, but now it looked downright irritated. "You're getting transferred back just as soon as I get the paperwork done. I don't have time to deal with this."

McCree had been about to open his mouth, but Maddie spoke before he could, sounding far more insisting than he expected. "Captain Amari said I have a week-long trial period."

Gabe slowly turned back to her, and McCree felt a little pang of sympathy for the expression that was bearing down on her. Maddie looked like she was going to shrink back, but wound up staying still. 

"...Sir," she squeaked.

Gabe's scowl deflated into the tired look he'd been sporting most of the day. "Fine. You have one week."

Maddie nodded, sitting back down. She gave McCree a nervous look. McCree shrugged; this was the best anyone could hope for, given the situation.

****

*.*.*

The explosion had rattled some of his circuits. That's what Torbjörn had said anyway. He was going to have to rest for now, then do some hard training to make sure everything was working properly.

That wasn't so bad. There was pain, as always, but he hadn't lost any parts this time. That was fortunate. 

The thought soured in his head, and Genji rolled over in the bed he'd flopped onto earlier. The joint on his robotic elbow caught some of the sheet's fabric, pulling the covers into a mess as he moved.

He let out a groan, but didn't move to fix it. He'd only mess them back up again anyway. Working his arm out from the sheet, he held it up and looked at his robotic hand. Red and gray alloys. Lightweight and durable. Moved just as fluidly as his old hand. Could feel sensation, but not like before.

It never felt the same, no matter what he or Dr. Zeigler or anyone had come up with, Torbjörn had said. It's just how it is. Maybe one day it wouldn't be, but now it was.

The man had been trying to be brutally honest with him, something he'd usually appreciated. Dr. Zeigler didn't sugarcoat things, but sometimes she took longer to tell him bad news than he wanted. Torbjorn always made the worst known first.

And now it echoed in his head as he tried to feel the sheet crumpled in his hand. He could tell it was there, but he couldn't tell if it felt soft or stiff.

His mind waded in dark thoughts, though it never spiked to something approaching a panic attack. Just stewing as he tapped the parts of his body that were still flesh. Just to feel.

The mire he'd stuck himself in was interrupted as the owner of the room he'd snuck into finally arrived. There was a long, loud groan, one that let Genji know McCree knew he was in the room already. It was also the noise he made when he started taking off his boots.

"You asleep, darlin'?" McCree called out, as if he hadn't just made an obnoxiously loud noise. "Because I'm about to be."

"What did Morrison want?" Genji called as an answer.

McCree appeared in the doorway of his little bedroom, remarkably down to only his boxers in such little time. He had a crooked grin on his face, "We blew up a US senator."

Genji turned his head to face the cowboy more directly, "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me," McCree said as he walked to the bed, then spread his arms and allowed himself to flop forward. Genji rolled to the side just in time to miss getting covered.

"And now the United Nations are upset?" Genji asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup," came McCree's muffled reply. "Mighty sore about it, sounds like."

"Commander Reyes is going to be in a bad mood."

"Yup," McCree agreed. "Too bad for Maddie."

"Who is Maddie?"

"New assistant."

Genji just shook his head. Too bad indeed. But for now that wasn't his concern. He merely wanted to forget about himself for a little while. So he crawled over to McCree and gently heaved him into a roll. He found the cowboy grinning at him.

"Missed me?" he drawled with a grin.

Genji worked the fingers of his left hand under McCree's armpit, tickling him. The other man let out a yelp and tried to escape him, but the attempt was futile as Genji descended onto him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Senator Thomas Marks, of Missouri, died Thursday in a car accident. The senator's vehicle, which he had been traveling in alone, lost control and crashed into the base of an overpass. Authorities are still running tests to discover if the car had been manually driving or in automode. The senate minority leader-"

"That's not what my report said," Josie, head of Team B, said in a bemused huff.

"Car wreck's a good coverup, though," Gwozdek from Ops responded. Both women looked away from the TV, then at Gabe. They had come in to speak with him, but he'd interrupted when the evening news started.

Now he didn't bother asking what they were here for. "The UN is still pissed."

"There's a surprise," Josie said, shaking her head and bouncing the large puff of curls that crowned it as she did. "So what? Are we getting suspended or something?"

"No," Gabe said, then irritation flared up and he grit his teeth. "Yes. There's no paperwork, but we're not starting our next assignment until this is cleared to the UN's satisfaction."

"Are we still getting paid?" Gwozdek all but demanded, her sudden relaxed mood curdling into mounting rage.

"Yes."

The anger dissipated immediately, replaced with a grin. "Sweet, vacation."

He didn't want to kill the mood, but, "Don't leave the base."

That took the smile off her face again, "Not even to go into town?"

Gabe nodded, and both women's expressions soured considerably, though not as much as the potential pay dock had brought.

"You'd better get this fixed soon, boss," Josie said. "I can't stand getting stuck in the same building with these lunatics for long."

Gabe didn't bother to respond as the two women left. He'd had visits from nearly his entire team to find out what was happening. And he had nothing for them. They were just waiting to hear from Jack.

The worst part was he knew exactly what was going to happen. After letting them sweat a few days, the UN would call him and Jack in to get grilled for a few hours. Then nothing. Just like when anything like this happened.

Dick swinging for the sake of it, mainly. It was exhausting. 

"Um, sir?" a voice piped up, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked up from his desk to find the new girl peeking her head in the door. Gabe had been sending her on annoying errands he hadn't wanted to do that didn't include much for security risks. Ana might vouch for her, but Gabe didn't let people who were likely going to be transferred out in a few days see anything sensitive.

"What?" he grumbled in reply.

"Do you want me to file those?" She pointed to the mountain of file folders next to his expensive, built-in file cabinets. Fireproof, heavily secured, perfect for storing the very sensitive documents he'd insisted he have copies of. He also hadn't gotten around to putting them away.

That was exactly the kind of thing an assistant should be doing. But if he had her doing that, she'd wind up staying. Gabe didn't want Ana's little nanny/spy any more than he'd wanted any of the other tries.

"No."

"Okay... well, what would you like me to do?"

"Go see if Poppy needs anything."

"Yes, sir," she said, then left. Gabe wondered if she knew who Poppy was, but if she couldn't get information as simple as who and where the head of Blackwatch's logistics team was, then she wasn't worth keeping around.

Now, he knew he was being harsh on the woman because he was in a foul mood and using it as an excuse. And to her credit, Maddie had been reacting well to that foul mood. She did as asked without a fuss and hadn't caused any trouble. Still...

"Uh, sir?" the woman's voice filtered in, sounding a little alarmed, "You might want to come out here." She stepped back into the room.

"What is it?" Gabe was already on his feet before she cleared the doorway.

"Two agents are fighting. I think one's arm is broken."

Gabe seethed out a curse between his teeth. Of course, when everything was a shitshow, they always started in on each other. "Which ones?"

"I'm not sure of the one, but the other is Genji," Maddie answered, unsurprisingly knowing who Genji was.

Well that gave a few guesses as to what was going on. He followed the woman out the door and down two halls to find a group had formed.

"All right! Break it up!" Gabe hollered at full volume. The room practically froze solid, then the group in front of him parted. In the center of the gathering was indeed Genji, crouched down and holding himself ready to strike. Across from him was Kyle of B Team, holding one arm against his body, the other balled into a fist.

It wasn't until Kyle looked to Gabe did Genji loosen his position.

"Start talking," he aimed at the two. 

Genji rose up to his normal height again. "I was defending myself."

"You broke my arm!" Kyle hollered.

"Why did he break your arm?" Gabe asked, feeling his frayed nerves start to fray further.

"I don't know; he's a maniac," Kyle said, starting to sound like he was getting riled up again. 

Gabe merely stared at him. The two men had clashed before in the past, and Genji wasn't the type to look for trouble. He certainly was one to finish a fight brought to him these days, however.

"If I have to watch the video," he pointed at the camera above them in the ceiling. "Whoever's stretching the truth is going to regret it."

Things had already gone quiet in the hall when this had started, now it was quiet and still. Good to know he still had that affect on people.

Kyle had paled a few shades by now. "I uh... well I mean. I just made a joke and he got all pissy and one thing led to the next."

"Go to medical," Gabe said to the man, "Then report to my office."

Kyle's mouth slacked open, then he looked like he was going to speak. Then he wisely closed his trap and turned to do as he was told. A few others followed after him, then the crowd started dispersing.

Genji, meanwhile, hadn't moved. Gabe noticed McCree wasn't around, which probably accounted for why things had gotten this far. The cowboy had a way of diffusing situations before they got overblown. 

"Are you okay?" he eventually asked the ninja when the others were just about gone.

"I am unharmed," Genji responded.

"I don't think Kyle could so much as scuff you on his own," Gabe chuckled. "I mean..." he blew a breath out of his nose. It always seemed like he was being tested by fate when he tried to reach out to Genji. And more often than not it seemed like he failed the test. "No one likes getting pushed around, even if they're not in danger."

Genji seemed to consider that a moment, then shook his head. "I am unconcerned by the actions of people who ultimately don't matter."

Ouch. It wasn't hard to see how Kyle might have been riled up by the way Genji spoke. Still, he knew first hand that Genji wasn't unkind to people who didn't provoke him.

"You'd better go talk to McCree before he finds out and tries to break Kyle's other arm," was his response. 

Genji's face crinkled into smile, and it often seemed like the topic of that cowboy was the only way to get him to react as such. 

"I suppose you are right. Do I need to write a report about this?"

"Probably not," Gabe waved his hand. "Kyle probably won't push. Do me a favor and try not to injure the whole team before we're on break."

The man merely bowed, then silently made for the opposite side of the hall. Gabe let out a sigh, then turned to find Maddie a few paces back. Just about the amount of space someone who was trying not to snoop would wait. Though Gabe had no clue how good her hearing was.

"What?" he asked, hands coming to a rest on his hips.

"Do you need any paperwork done about that?"

Gabe just managed to keep himself from swearing. Overwatch had some pretty clear rules about situations like this. They included filing reports, mediations with counselors, evaluations and all manner of things he didn't want to deal with or subject his team to, especially Genji.

But Maddie had seen the whole thing and probably got trained on all those rules as well. And all she had to do was report it up to the main section of HR if he didn't comply.

Well, there was nothing he could do if she was going to go over his head. So instead he'd take a chance on her. "No. It's settled."

To his surprise, she nodded. "I'll go see what Poppy needs, then."

Gabe merely nodded as she turned and started down the hall. Hmph. Well, she could still report him. Time would tell, he supposed.

****

*.*.*

"You guys seen that new assistant?" Emmett, one of their pilots, asked, breaking the silence of those lounging on the building's roof. It was a sunny day and they couldn't leave, so a group had formed, draped over an odd assortment of beach chairs and cushions.

"I heard Mama Amari made the commander play nice," Makana said from the pile of pillows they'd sprawled out on. "She's staying for at least a while."

"Hit or miss?" Paxton asked, not bothering to pull off the towel he'd draped over his eyes.

"Hit; she can stay as long as she wants in my book," Emmett replied. "Or at least as long as it takes to get a hit."

"That's no way to talk about a lady," McCree huffed as he fumbled around for the drink he'd left nearby. His hat was still over his eyes as well.

"Aw shut it, McCree," Emmett grumbled. "No one falls for that gentleman angle anyway."

"Ladies don't much like the turbo perv approach, either," Makana said, sounding bored.

"Can you all shut up? I'm trying to enjoy myself here," Pedraza spoke up. "Go warm up a jar of peanut butter if you're lonely."

"What the fuck, man?" Emmett sat up. "That's messed up."

"It's as close as you're getting to anything with a pulse," the older man responded, twisting the cap off a beer.

The roof echoed with jeers that petered off lazily.

****

*.*.*

"Let me start this off with an announcement," Gabe said as he looked over his gathered team. It was Thursday night, which meant they were all crammed into the shooting range. Teambuilding and target practice were always on Thursday nights if they were home. Gabe insisted. And after the morning's fight and the rather foreboding warning he'd given Kyle, gathering the team to get them working together was important.

He saw everyone giving him their rapt attention, which was not usually the case. Weren't they going to love the information he had for them. "We still don't have any new orders or info for the investigation."

A chorus of groans, peppered with swears, was the response. Big surprise. "Still, until they pull the plug, I want you monsters able to at least hit the broad side of a barn. Partner up and get working."

Gabe made his way to each of the pairs, telling them to work on specific things he'd seen them mess up or needed polishing. And to keep vigilant with the few who had a set of bad habits that kept cropping up.

"Jesse, I swear I'm going to bench you if I catch you spinning that thing on assignment again," he growled as he came upon the man playing with his revolver while Genji threw shuriken the target before him over and over with precision.

McCree holstered the gun and gave his commander a sheepish look. "Aw, it's just a nervous tick is all." He closed his mouth when he saw the glare he got back in return. 

"If that cigar's lit I'll-"

"It isn't!" McCree cried. "Jesus, boss, you need to get laid."

There was a few titters behind him at that. Gabe merely shook his head as he started to move to the next team. Then he quickly spun around and grabbed McCree. The other man squawked as he was caught unawares and quickly put into a headlock. 

Gabe merely straightened up, barely moving as he kept McCree from wriggling free. He plucked the askew hat off his head, then plopped it over Genji's head.

"All right," he hollered, getting everyone's attention. There were a few more titters as everyone saw McCree still trying to get free, and muttering about his hat.

"Everyone in the gym at 11:00 tomorrow, sharp. We're going to do some sparring."

There were a few hoots to that; sparring usually got out of hand if the whole group did it, which was why Gabe only did it on special occasions. "We all need to get some pent up energy out."

"Lemme go," McCree huffed. "You're embarrassing me."

"Soon. Let's go see how Pedraza's grouping is today."

The groan that came from the cowboy as he was led towards the other side of the room nearly drowned out the voice speaking up behind him, but he turned to find Maddie. 

She looked at McCree, who was still trapped, then up at him. "Uh... I have some paperwork you need to sign off on."

Now Gabe was the one staring. "From who?"

"Poppy. And Mr. Mata," she answered.

Gabe huffed. He'd been ghosting those two, his logistics head and staff director. Usually when they were done with an assignment, he'd get a few days rest before he did any more work. But with this limbo they were stuck in, he couldn't relax enough to get his head together for it. Sending Maddie to them for busy work had apparently been a bad idea.

It was a lot of signing off. And he had to read it all first. And it was page after page after page. A month's worth of requisitions and contracts and agreements...

"I'm busy with the team," he answered, patting McCree on the head, who squawked at him. "It'll have to wait."

"They said they couldn't get extensions because you were on base," Maddie pushed, the nerves that had started to show in her tone leaving when she caught sight of McCree wriggling.

Gabe felt a growl starting to work his way up, but he tamped it down. "Later," he said, tone not leaving room for argument.

Maddie's face pulled to a frown, but she nodded. Gabe turned back and started lugging McCree towards the other side of the room.

****

*.*.*

Maddie slowly twirled a stylus in her fingers. She'd been warned about situations like this. If she wanted to stay on this assignment, she was going to have to think of a way to get what needed to be done while keeping the boss happy.

Reyes was a hard person to read, but Maddie trusted what Captain Amari said, which included that he was very responsible. To the point of doing paperwork off a crate of turret parts while in transport during the ominic crisis while everyone else was snoring, apparently. 

So if he wasn't willing to do this now, there was a reason for it. Maddie looked down at the tablet she had, loaded with all the paperwork that had to be done. There was an awful lot of it. That likely was an issue. This situation with the blown up senator and the UN couldn't be helping. Maybe he was overloaded with all that.

Still... this had to get done.

The little sitting area she was perched in was pleasant. Blackwatch seemed to have all the nice amenities the Overwatch bases had, though the lighting was a bit more dreary. 

It actually made this little area cozy, which while at first was making it easier to ponder, now it was making her sleepy.

Shaking off the doze that was starting to threaten her, she tried to work out an idea. The urge to go find McCree and see if he could help was tempting, but she didn't want to rely on the nicest person she'd met so far to bail her out of everything.

But what did that leave her? While she pondered, she saw a couple agents wander in and make their way for the vending machines. They had been a very pleasant surprise; Blackwatch had some of the fanciest and nicest vending machines she'd ever seen. They weren't exactly cheap, but Maddie was willing to pay for a still-warm chocolate croissant at three in the morning after only a two minute walk.

Hm. She thumbed the tablet on and started skimming the files again. Yep. Vending machine restocking orders were in here.

People were going to be upset if some of this stuff didn't get approved and supplies ran out. That gave her an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my editor for looking this over on a Sunday night with no notice


	3. Chapter 3

No one had been able to even touch Genji yet. Not for lack of trying; they were coming at him in waves now.

It wasn't until he dove between two sets of legs and sprang up to lightly jump off Pedraza's shoulders to escape that he realized he was laughing.

There wasn't a lot that got him in such high spirits in public. Sparring bouts that wound up with a game of "the first person who can grab Genji wins," was one of those things, however. It reminded him of his ninja training with members of his clan.

He didn't think too hard on that, not wanting to think about who else it reminded him of. No need to sour this. He had to concentrate anyway. There was a huge mob of his fellow agents coming after him, so he merely ran for the wall and sprang up it to the rafters.

"Aw that's cheatin," McCree yelled, panting for air as he did.

"I am victorious," he called down, getting a wave of groans.

"Now hold on," one voice counted. Genji's eyes narrowed once he saw his commander step out. "I haven't tried yet."

Commander Reyes was probably the only person he'd met who could keep up with him. Genji was aware of the super soldier programs that had been tried by the United States, and he was certain Reyes had been one of the soldiers tested on. He and Strike Commander Morrison. 

Still, "You cannot get me up here," he called down.

"You have to come down sooner or later," Reyes said, grinning up at him.

Genji nearly sat down to get comfortable; he could wait up here a long time. But Reyes guessed correctly if he wagered that Genji would rather have the fun of a real match.

So he hopped off the rafter and rolled to break the fall. He'd thought for a moment that the commander would say something before they began, but the older man surprised him by breaking into a gallop after him.

Genji was up on his feet and running for the far end of the room before the older man could get too close. He skirted and dove around anyone who was in the way as another laugh broke out of him.

****

*.*.*

“And why should I help you?” Douglas from the tech department asked.

Maddie was at the point of having to force a smile. “Because all the blame will fall on me if this goes bad, and things are going to get grim if it isn’t handled.”

She had done a little sussing around to figure out who had the most to lose and least amount of clout to do something about it. Douglas had started a project for Blackwatch’s next assignment, one of the few people in the building who had been allowed to. Which means he was going to want things running smoothly. She had a plan he could help with and now some urgency to coax him into it.

“You don’t know the boss if you think he won’t dig to figure out all parties involved,” Douglas said, shaking his head. “Not worth it.”

Maddie nearly argued further, but she didn’t want to make him thinking too much about it if he wasn’t going to help. Getting ratted out sure wouldn't do her much good. 

Well damn; he’d been her best bet.

“All right, thanks anyway,” she said, managing to keep her tone neutral. She was going to have to go back to the drawing board. Well… partially.

****

*.*.*

“Have you noticed the vending machines barely have anything in them?” McCree asked, breaking the silence between him and Genji as they walked. “They’re all out of root beer. Every last one of them.”

“They still have my melon sodas,” Genji responded, though he had noticed the machines looking more empty than usual.

“That’s because you’re the only one who drinks it,” McCree huffed back. They continued in silence until the man spoke again. “What’s up for tonight? Wanna watch a movie? Play something? I wouldn’t mind getting some early sleep, but I say we do something first you know?”

Genji thought over their options. Sleeping had been his main response to this situation so far. Usually when he went out, it was at night, when no one would notice. Without his escape of skulking around the city, he was getting restless.

But tonight, he did feel tired. Since the sparring this morning, he’d been worn out. More than seemed natural. He hadn’t mentioned it to McCree yet, but he was starting to suspect something was wrong. Maybe something had come loose or been damaged or… He didn’t know. For now, he chose to ignore it.

“Maybe watch something.”

“Great! How about-”

“No Italian cowboy movies.”

“Aw, come on.” McCree turned a pout his way. “I know one you’ll like.”

“We have watched cowboy movies the last three times. It is my turn to pick.”

“Fine, fine,” McCree gently elbowed him in the side. “You know you like those old things.”

Normally, Genji might have teased the other man or begrudgingly agreed if he was in the mood. But the step he took after that nudge felt like something shifted in his abdomen. He let out a grumble instead.

McCree looked like he’d been about to continue the conversation, but a voice ahead of them stopped him. Maddie, the new girl, was coming their way. She smiled at them both, but looked tired. 

That was about all Genji could concentrate enough to comprehend; pain had started cascading from his side, spreading until it felt like his torso had been lit on fire. Again.

He tried to say something to McCree, knowing it was now something he couldn’t pretend away, but the pain was locking him up. The cowboy was still talking to Maddie. Genji couldn’t make out the words between them.

McCree glanced his way and spoke, but it took only a moment for him to realize something was very wrong. His hands reached out, one grabbing his arm as the other reached for his head. The touch made things come into focus a moment.

“How bad?” He was able to understand when McCree spoke this time.

“G...g-get,” Genji took a shuddering breath. “Ang...ela,” he managed to sputter before his legs gave out.

“Maddie!” McCree cried as he stooped down to get a grip on Genji’s now-useless body, “Call Zurich. Tell…”

And then he lost consciousness.

****

*.*.*

Gabe could be perfectly undetectable when he wanted. Right now, he didn’t really care if he sounded like a herd of elephants stomping down the hall. It worked fine, since people were practically diving out of his way as he ran.

Finally, he arrived at the medbay. He saw McCree look up, face miserable. Next to him was Maddie, who’d been the one to call him. Her face was pale, but calm.

“How bad?” he asked McCree once he reached them.

“Doc said she’s not going to have to transport him back to her facility,” the cowboy said.

That was good. That meant whatever was wrong was something that could be fixed here. Hopefully.

“She said it was going to be a while, though,” McCree continued. “She just got here a minute ago, you just missed her going in.”

Gabe let out a sigh, then sat. Genji’s sudden emergencies weren’t frequent, but they were always harrowing. He supposed he should call Ana.

“Maddie,” he said, “you don’t have to stay.”

She looked up at him, then at McCree. “I don’t mind.”

“Naw, go on,” McCree said with a sigh. “These things take a long while. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

The woman stood, looking at both men. “Can I bring you something?”

“No,” Gabe replied. “But…” He hesitated, then figured it was worth the effort. “Call Captain Amari and tell her what’s going on.”

“Yes, sir.” Maddie laid a hand on McCree’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and headed off.

The cowboy watched her go, then turned his gaze towards Gabe. “She’s good in an emergency. Hollered at that rotten secretary of Angie’s until she got her on the line.”

Gabe merely grunted. He was in no mood to talk, truth be told. He leaned back in his chair as the rare feeling of guilt threatened to creep up as he thought about sparring this morning and his agent now under the knife.

****

*.*.*

Angela started for the door. Then, in a moment of clarity, stepped back to look at her reflection in the shiny metal of the sharps disposal container on the wall. She was right to. She’d missed a small smear of blood on her cheek.

Once that was carefully cleaned off, she smoothed her nearly wild hair down and took a deep breath. This wasn’t bad news, but it wouldn’t be easy to hear, either. And no amount of stoic facades were going to fool her.

Delaying no further, the doctor stepped out into the waiting room. The young woman who had unfortunately made an enemy of her receptionist was gone, and in her place was Captain Amari sitting next to Jesse. They and Commander Reyes all looked up, then stood when they saw who was coming.

“Is he okay?” Jesse asked, doing a bad job of hiding his worry.

“He is,” Angela said, trying to keep a smile on her face after so many hours in surgery. “He will recover fully in just a few days.”

Relief obviously flooded Jesse, but the Captain and Commander didn’t seem as easily swayed.

“Is this likely to happen again?” Amari asked, sounding stern.

“A connection to a pump in his lower abdomen was disrupted," she explained. "It has been repaired. The area was a section we were concerned about, so I have sent word to Torbjӧrn to come and make adjustments.” She saw Ana still giving her that careful searching look. “Once it’s reinforced, hopefully he will be protected from it happening again.”

“Hopefully?” Commander Reyes asked, clearly not happy.

“You know Genji’s treatments are highly experimental,” Angela said, only barely able to keep a sigh from escaping her. It seemed like they had this conversation every time something came up. “We are doing the best we can with what we have.”

He opened his mouth to respond, then he closed it. His expression deflated to weary acceptance. “Yeah, thanks doc.”

“You are welcome,” she said with a nod. 

“Can I go see him?” Jesse asked, taking his hat off.

Angela knew he was about to try and apply cowboy charm to the request, but she didn’t let him bother. “Go on. One at a time, though. And no talk other than letting him know you’re here. He’s very tired.”

“Thanks, Angie,” the man said, then practically raced out of the waiting room.

The doctor watched him go, then looked back at the others. 

Commander Reyes was frowning towards the door Jesse had disappeared into. After a moment, he sighed. “We sparred earlier today. Did I do this?”

Angela had seen what Reyes was capable of when using his full strength. It hadn’t been pretty, but-

“I doubt it. Torbjӧrn sent word of the explosion Genji had been in. We both suspected there would be a result like this. If anything, it’s fortunate it was discovered on base rather than in the field.” Angela had no clue whether it had been the explosion or roughhousing afterward that finally snapped the piece free. But while she didn’t know Commander Reyes as well as she did Morrison, she knew both men worried about their agents. Especially if they perceived suffering to be their fault.

He was hard to read, but his posture had slackened slightly at her words. 

“Thank you,” Amari said, likely for both of them. “Will you be heading back soon?”

“I’ll stay the night here if there’s room,” she replied, heartened to see Reyes nod at the implied question. “It’s late, and I’d rather make sure there are no other emergencies for a few hours.”

“Perhaps I’ll stay tonight as well,” Amari smiled at Reyes. “Jack will understand.”

“Genji will appreciate that,” the man responded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh, warning for some gorey yet not graphic joking. Tsk, Gabe

The vending machines were out of croissants. They were out of those cans of coffee she’d started growing very fond of, too. You could still get hot coffee from the fancy machines, which was probably the only reason things hadn’t gotten grim.

Well, more grim than they were. People around the base had been distant, but at least mildly polite to begin with, but between the UN still not updating their situation and the more sought after snacks starting to dwindle, plus being stuck in base, everyone was getting cross.

Commander Reyes had been hard to find in the last day; Maddie knew he’d been keeping an eye on Genji, who was recovering from surgery. But she was going to have to track him down and demand the paperwork get done, for everyone’s sake.

After doing a round of searching, Maddie had decided to camp out on the big, comfortable chair in the commander’s office, apparently tucked in the corner for naps. He had to come back at some point, and she’d just lay out the situation and not take no for an answer. A scoff came out of her even as she thought it.

Someone was coming down the hall towards the office. Maddie had picked up Commander Reyes’ heavy gait quickly enough; he sounded like a brick wall was walking down the hallway. This sounded like someone lugging something heavy, and looking up she found she was right.

A fairly short, fairly thick man with a beard clamped into metal brackets, a gigantic tool box and an even bigger claw-like prosthetic arm walked in. Maddie blinked at him, then shot to her feet as she recognized him.

“Chief Engineer Lindholm!” she squeaked, “I uh, we didn’t know you were coming, I-”

He huffed, looking around the room with disdain, focusing on the empty desk, “Hiding, typical.” He turned his single eye towards Maddie. “You’re new.”

“Yes, sir,” Maddie nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get word you’d be here or-”

“Didn’t send word,” he gave her a scrutinizing look, and Maddie was pretty sure he was making some correct, unfortunately accurate assumptions about her. She’d met three of the founding members of Overwatch so far, this looked like another less-than-ideal result.

Eventually Lindholm’s eye squinted a bit at her, “You’re not an agent.”

“No sir, I’m Commander Reyes’ assistant,” then, without thinking, she added, “Maybe.”

Now the man was shaking his head, “You look like you should be in a mailroom, not getting fired by Reyes.”

Maddie tried to think of something to say to that, deciding this was actually worse than meeting Commander Reyes and also wishing McCree was here to soften the blow again. Instead of something smooth that might have come out to make him think better of her, the unfortunate truth came out, “I was going to apply for the mailroom, but then I saw how much this job paid.”

He shook his head with a chuckle, “At least you’ve got some sense,” and with that, the scrutiny seemed to be over. “Where’s Genji? Still in the sickbay?”

Trying her best to keep up with the situation, she nodded, “Um, yes. He’s uh, he’s better. They let me see him earlier.”

Now the Chief Engineer was looking her over again, “You made friends with Genji?”

Fairly sure she was at the bottom of the shitlist, or at least the apathetic list with the man, Maddie decided to just keep telling him the truth. “No, sir, but I have with McCree. Genji doesn’t seem too interested in me so far.”

There was another chuckle from him, “Well I need to go see him.”

“Oh! Yes, sir,” she was pretty sure she’d heard something about Genji’s cybernetics needing adjustment, now that she thought about it. “It’s this way, would you like me to carry that?” Maddie asked, a beat later wondering why she thought acting like a bellboy was going to help the situation.

Lindholm laughed, “Be my guest.” 

Maddie stepped over, then started to reach for the box.

“Bend your knees before lifting,” Lindholm all but barked at her.

Maddie nodded, doing as she was told. The toolbox was obscenely heavy, and for a moment Maddie was going to give up on that idea. But she’d offered and the stubborn thought that she was going to do something right, at least sort of, in front of this man pushed her to start lugging the thing towards the medbay.

“As far as I-” she grunted, setting down the box before picking it back up in a better grip. She saw a warning look her way and made sure to bend her knees before lifting again, “-Know, Genji is available, but one of the doctors might be giving him a checkup.” 

“Has Zeigler gone back to Zurich?” he asked, sounding amused as he watched her go.

“Yes sir, it sounded like the doctors here have a lot of instructions, though.”

“Mm,” the man grunted, then they were quiet for the rest of the walk.

“Hello, sir,” the medical bay’s receptionist said, focusing on the chief engineer as they rounded the corner to the medbay’s waiting area . Maddie still hadn’t gotten the man’s name, and she was of the opinion he was avoiding that happening. He eyed the box she was struggling with, but made no mention of it. “Let me see…” he tapped a few things into the panel before him. “Genji should be ready for you.”

“Thanks,” Lindholm said continuing on into the bay without stopping to take his box, which lead Maddie to believe she was still on lugging duty. So lug she did.

Genji was sitting up in bed, playing something on a handheld display that was getting projected onto the room’s tv. Once he saw them coming in, he paused and looked them over focusing on Maddie awkwardly setting the toolbox down.

“I heard Reyes got you blown up,” the Chief Engineer said as he walked over to the bed.

Genji let out a little laugh, the first Maddie had ever heard from him. “I did not know sugar was so dangerous.” 

“Tell that to Ziegler,” Lindholm said with a huff.

Maddie was getting the feeling she was intruding on a private moment, just like if she stuck around for a doctor to do their work on Genji. But then again…

“Can I leave this somewhere in particular for you, sir?” she spoke up.

“Yeah yeah, right here by the bed,” Lindholm answered. Maddie, bending her knees first, lifted the box and dropped it as carefully as she could where she was told. “Is there anything else I can do for you? Either of you?”

“Go on,” Linholm said. “Tell Reyes I’m here if he ever comes out of hiding.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, then shot a polite smile at Genji. If he’d been happy to see it, there was no obvious sign of it. As it was, she was at her limit for awkward encounters, so she promptly fled.

*.*.*

“He looks like that smoothie I dropped at that airport in Korea,” Gabe said, looking over the results of Senator Marks’ autopsy in full color images on his display.

Jack snorted, looking surprised with himself at the reaction, “That’s not-”

“Too much pulp,” Gabe added.

Now the other man was fully laughing; Jack must not have slept in a while and was getting punchy. It was a marvel how ten years magically disappeared off his face when he actually looked happy to be alive a moment. 

Currently, though, Gabe just liked the idea of making him laugh over something he’d feel bad about normally, “Is it going to be an open cup funeral, or are they going to spring for an insulated mug?”

Jack was making an attempt to stop laughing, fist pressed to his mouth. But Gabe was pretty sure he saw tears starting to gather in his eyes as his muffled guffaws kept sneaking out.

“I don’t care for the direction Kofi’s taking their drinks,” Gabe added. 

Jack got up then, stepping away from the camera. He could still hear though; Jack was taking deep breaths to calm himself, occasionally a laugh snaking out still. A few moments later, he sat back down with his Official Event poker face on.

“That’s no way to speak about an elected official,” Jack said, sounding somewhere between stern and disappointed. 

Gabe nodded, “Are you hungry? Because now I am.”

That cracked the facade just as quick as it went up, and Jack put his face in his hands. “Ana would kill us if she knew how we were speaking of the dead.”

“Ana only drinks tea.”

“Stop it.”

Gabe let him cough through a few more hiccups and finally calm down. The distraction had been nice, but it was time to address the elephant that had moved in. “Have they called you yet?”

“...No,” Jack’s good humor started to fade, and the age crept back onto his face. “Ana thinks it will be soon, though. She’s got that one aide who keeps her informed.”

“They’ve never let us sweat this much.”

“You’re not worried, are you?”

A laugh rocketed out of Gabe, “No. I almost wish they would fire me so I could go be free.”

“And leave me to rot?”

“You deserve it,” he looked up to see Maddie poke her head into the room. She held up the tablet with all the contracts on it, and he waved her off. The woman turned with a sigh and left. Focusing on Jack again, he shook his head, “You’d self-destruct in two days without me.”

“My guess is getting a few new holes in my head,” Jack said, leaning back on his chair and pointing a finger gun at the wall beyond him. “I hope they get me during a speech.”

“That’s dark for you, Jackie.”

“I’ve slept four hours in three days; being dead means at least I can rest.”

“Lock your door and take a nap,” Gabe said, shaking his head, “You’re not a teenager waltzing out fresh from the lab anymore.”

“I have a series of meetings that start in ten minutes,” Jack sighed, “They’d have to zap me with a defibrillator to wake me after only ten minutes.”

Gabe knew that feeling, though not lately. He weighed his options, then inclined his head, “Want help with anything? I’m stuck with my thumb up my ass anyway.”

“You’re in the doghouse with the brass,” Jack waved him off. “It’s probably better we all keep seperate until this blows over. And I get to sleep after the meetings. I get the whole day off tomorrow.”

“Mm, good,” Gabe said. “You’re too easy to work when you’re like this.”

“Shut up. I’ll call you if I hear anything.”

Gabe gave him a little mock salute with two fingers, then watched as the screen went blank. He stared at it, wondering if Jack was going to actually be allowed to sleep.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He looked up to see Maddie’s head poking into the room again.

“What?” he practically growled. He wasn’t even in a bad mood, really, he just didn’t want to talk about the damned-

“Sir, I can’t keep letting these go unsigned. You need to do this paperwork,” Maddie strode into the room, shoulders set and face stern. An interesting decision, as she was about as intimidating as a week-old kitten. 

Unfortunately for her, Gabe wasn’t particularly looking to be bossed around by someone who wasn’t even old enough to drink. “Out.”

She looked confused at his response, “I… what?”

“Leave the room. Maybe go read a book on how to talk to your superiors.”

She seemed to understand what was happening now, but instead of going, she took a step forward. “No. This-”

Gabe rose to his feet. He still wasn’t angry, not even close. Honestly he was more amused than anything, but he still wasn’t in any mood to do paperwork. So he worked his face into the mask he usually reserved for someone talking back to him after a direct order in combat.

Now he finally appeared to have cowed the young woman. She opened her mouth, then turn around and fled.

Gabe watched her go, waited to make sure she was out of hearing range before he flopped back down to his chair. “Still got it.”

*.*.*

Working on Genji’s cybernetic parts was challenging, to say the least. He and the doctors were practically guessing for half of it, and they had the nerve to send Genji into battle. He was practically a child and he’d been through too much before they ever set their claws into him.

But Genji wanted this, so Torbjorn did what he could. At least today’s work had been successful and fairly simple. Hopefully it would stick.

Now that the young man’s body was settled and he was resting, Torbjorn was eager to get back to HQ. He had a project to get done before the weekend. Though he did notice a certain Commander hadn’t seen fit to greet him. As if he wouldn’t know Torbjorn was there. 

Well, he wouldn’t give Reyes the satisfaction of looking for him, so he made his way for the helipads. There was a transport making its way back to Switzerland in ten minutes, and he aimed to be on it. Hefting his toolbox, he started for the elevator. 

“Wait, sir? Wait, please!” a voice cried from behind him. Turning, Torbjorn saw the girl who’d carried his toolbox earlier… Maddie, he was pretty sure.

“Yes, Mary?”

Her face twitched, then she shook her head, “It’s Maddie, sir. Are you leaving?”

“Genji should be fine. I’ll have my comm on if he needs something,” Torbjorn responded, starting to turn back for the door.

“I uh, I’d like to ask a favor,” Maddie said, the sentence started like she was unsure, but ended like she was committed. 

Torbjorn was all but certain she was going to ask for some inane mechanical problem, as if he had time to fix a faulty door or-

“I need help to get Commander Reyes to do vital paperwork. And I have a very stupid idea that includes minor to moderate illegal detainment.”

Well that he hadn’t expected, “Come again?”

“I need to get the commander to finally finish paperwork that needs doing. And he keeps hiding or brushing me off and I just need to get him still for a while. Do you… well,” she shrugged, “I’ve heard you like pulling pranks.”

Pull a prank on Commander-Full-Of-Himself.... Torbjorn tried to stop keep the smile from rising on his face, but failed. “Tell me more.”

*.*.*

How the hell does a modern boogey-man base run out of gum? Gabe had checked every vending machine in the building. He’d almost sent someone out, then remembered they couldn’t go out. Not even Poppy had any, and he’d made the trip all the way up to her office.

The elevator he’d been waiting for finally opened, and he stepped in. Maybe-

“Wait, please!” a voice cried behind him. Turning, he confirmed Maddie was coming his way. “Please hold the elevator!”

Some petty, awful part of him almost hit the button to close the door, but he’d already been skirting the line with cruelty with the poor woman. It’d almost been a week since she’d arrived; almost time to transfer her away. Her sticking around this long at least earned her some common decency, so he shoved his hand out to cover the sensor, stopping the door from closing.

“Thank you, sir!” Maddie panted as she bustled into the elevator, ducking under his outstretched arm. 

He stepped back in and let the door close. He tapped the number of his floor, then looked back at Maddie, who nodded. 

“That’s me, too.”

The machine started it descent, and Gabe kept silent. He started counting down in his head until the woman would ask about the damned paperwork, but surprisingly the question didn’t come. The tablet was even in her hand. Just as he was about to say something, the elevator car jerked. 

Gabe’s reaction was fast; he grabbed Maddie’s arm as she stumbled, keeping her up as he braced himself. The car then halted with a groan.

There was a tense moment of silence where nothing happened. Once enough time went by that it didn’t seem like anything was going to happen, Gabe let the woman go, then reached out and touched the comm on the panel by the door.

“Maintenance,” a voice chirped.

“The elevator’s stopped,” Gabe said, the surprise of the situation starting to fade into irritation. “Fix it.”

“C-Commander? Oh, uh, hold on,” there was a flurry of typing noise, then grave sounding whispers. “Hold on, sir, we’re waiting for the diagnos-”

There was a beep, then silence.

“What is it?” Gabe asked, not liking that at all.

“Th-the motor’s gone offline.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“It-It shouldn’t be able to do that! The operating system is offline and the backup motor generators. This is…”

“How long will it take to fix?” Gabe asked, feeling that vein in his head start to bulge.

“U-um. Well. If the operating system is truly down- which is what it looks like. It might take an hour.”

Gabe drew in a deep breath, then let it out. He glanced back at Maddie, who looked calm, though concerned.

“Are we going to fall?” she spoke up.

“No, ma’am, the brakes automatically locked at the first sign of trouble, like they’re programmed to.”

“Okay, thanks,” the woman said, sounding relieved. 

“Get working,” Gabe growled, then slapped the feed off. He tilted his head back, then worked it back and forth to let the tension out. It was only an hour and he had nowhere he had to be. The only other person here seemed calm as well. It wasn’t that big a deal.

He turned so his back was facing the wall, then slide down it to sit. Maddie watched him, then lowered herself to sit against her own wall. She shrugged at him with an awkward grin, then looked down at her armband and started tapping away at it.

Gabe let his head thud against the wall and sighed. This figured.

The quiet that settled over them didn’t last long, however. “Um, sir?” Maddie spoke up. 

“Mmph?” Gabe responded, suspecting he knew where this was going.

“Let’s get the paperwork done, while we’re here.”

He sighed, “It’s going to take more than an hour.”

“No sir, I’ve, see-” she scooted over to his side of the elevator and thumbed the tablet in her hands on. “I’ve been looking it all over. And I compared it to last month’s orders and, see?” she held up the display, which showed a list of contracts and supply orders. Tapping it, a green box surrounded a large portion of the list. “These are the same as last month’s. And the rest are different. I called everyone to ask what the differences are and if you touch the name, it’ll give you their explanation.”

Gabe glanced at her, then touched the tablet. An order for more printer paper than usual in the logistics department popped up the words ‘Overwatch HQ wants requisition records sent to them digitally and physically from now on - Ms. Prevost’

“This program does this?” Gabe asked, unable to help himself.

“This is just a word processor that links to the contracts,” Maddie answered. “I had to program it to add the pop ups.”

“You know how to do that?”

“I do now - I looked it up.”

Gabe looked at the list, then at the woman again. Paperwork, even simplified, didn’t appeal while stuck like this.

“I can’t take time for-”

“We’re trapped in an elevator.”

“I can climb to the next floor,” he huffed, not wanting to give in.

“No sir, the access panels all got locked down with the operating system.”

Gabe’s eyebrow rose at that response, then his eyes narrowed, “How do you know that?”

“I uh… looked it up,” she said, holding up her arm and the databand on it.

Not giving her time to react, he reached out and grabbed the outstretched arm. Maddie squawked as she was dragged a little closer, then groaned in dismay as she saw Gabe was looking at the screen.

There were elevator schematics on the display, but also a chat log up-

Gabe felt his blood pressure skyrocket as he glanced over the text, then pulled up the data band’s comm system, and dialed a number.

“This is-”

“Lindholm, what is this?!”

“What’s what?”

“Don’t…” Gabe took a deep breath, “Did you mess with the elevator?”

“I most certainly- oh dear, I’m going through a tunnel, you’re-”

“Do not hang up.”

“I’ll have to talk to you later-” and then the call ended.

Silence filled the elevator car again. Gabe pulled a deep breath in, then let it out, then repeated the process two more times before he finally looked down at Maddie, whose arm was still trapped in his grip.

She opened her mouth, then closed it with a forced smile, “Sir, I-”

“Did you tell Torbjorn to trap us in an elevator?” he asked quietly.

She opened her mouth again, then closed it, then opened it, “Yes.”

Gabe found himself surprised at the honesty, still, “Why did you think this was a good idea?”

The worried expression faded to a surprisingly cross look, “I’ve tried all week to get you to look at this. We’re actually starting to run out of food on the base and people can’t leave. You’re going to fire me anyway, so I decided to try something you couldn't ignore.”

Gabe glared at her, and the wild bravery in her face started to deflate. “I-I’m sorry sir, but you-”

He let out a loud groan, letting her arm go and thunking his head into the wall. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes, sir.”

He didn’t know whose neck he wanted to wring more, his own, her’s or Lindholm’s. Probably that smug engineer bastard. It was amazing that this woman figured out the one person who would pull something this idiotic. Nevermind the little worm was impossible to retaliate on…

“Give me the damn thing,” he huffed. “You win this round.”

“I do?” Maddie, blinked, then handed over the tablet. “I… okay, good. Yes, here it all is.”

Gabriel took the device and looked at the list again, “I still haven’t decided on you.”

“Yes, sir,” she responded, then mercifully backed to her side of the elevator and kept quiet while he read the orders and contract summaries. It really didn’t take that long; he checked, and double-checked the orders, but it was all right there. Forty-five minutes later he handed the tablet back, forefinger tired from scribbling out his signature. 

“Done. Now-”

The elevator groaned and shifted, then the slow normal feel of descent started again. He glared at Maddie,who gave him a sheepish smile. 

His comm pinged, surprising him; he tapped his earpiece, “Reyes.”

“Looks my rest day is cancelled,” Jack’s gravely, half-asleep voice grumbled, “Tomorrow at noon, they want you here, too.”

“See you then,” Gabe said, unsurprised when the call cut immediately after. Letting out a sigh, he glanced down at Maddie again, then chuckled.

“You know what? I’ve changed my mind. You’re in.”

“I am?” Maddie sat up straighter, clear surprise on her features.

“You are. And your first officially accepted duty is to get chewed out with us by the UN tomorrow.”

Her grin faded, then she paled, “Oh?”

The elevator door opened, and Gabe stepped out. “Be at the helipad at 1030 tomorrow.”

“Y-yes sir,” she said, looking somewhat ill. It was petty, but he found it satisfying.


End file.
